United States President-elect Donald Trump shared some high praise for the founder of Dubai's DAMAC Group at his New Year's Eve party.
Trump gave a shout-out to his billionaire business partner Hussain Sajwani, who was in attendance at the event, and the "whole family" from Dubai, calling them "beautiful people." The video was recorded by someone at the celebration in Florida and reported by CNN.
Trump previously partnered with Sajwani to open the Trump International Golf Club in Dubai.
Sajwani's company also collaborated with the Trump Organization on the $6 billion development "the Beverly Hills of Dubai." But in November, after Trump called for a "total and complete" ban on Muslims visiting the U.S., DAMAC removed Trump's name from billboards promoting the project.
Although many speculated that Trump's Islamophobic remarks were hurting his business ties in Dubai and the Middle East, the leaked video suggests that ties are just fine with Sajwani. The video also reveals that, despite his call for a ban on Muslims visiting the U.S., the president-elect is actually inviting them to his personal parties.
This week, Sajwani also told NBC News that he plans to continue working with the Trump Organization after Trump takes office. He said that his personal business ties extend to Trump's children, saying that "under their leadership we will have no issue in expanding and growing and maintaining our business relation."
"My wife and Ivanka are very good friends," he also said, describing the intimate relationship his family has with the Trumps.
"We've been in New York having lunch and dinners with them regularly," he said.
Many in the U.S. media and Americans who oppose the president-elect have used the video as another opportunity to criticize Trump's "conflicts of interest" as he is set to take office on Jan. 20.
A Trump spokesperson downplayed the concerns, saying there was no business discussed at the party.
In the U.S., presidents typically separate themselves from their business interests once they assume office, to remove the appearance or reality of them benefitting financially from political decisions. With a >massive international business empire, Trump has had difficulty assuring critics that he will be free from financial influence once he takes office.
>Reports have already emerged that the Bahrain Embassy in Washington D.C. changed the location of its National Day party to Trump's hotel after the U.S. election results. Kuwait reportedly made a similar decision after it was pressured by representatives from the Trump Organization.
"You can build the highest wall imaginable to restrict Donald Trump from his business interests," CNN's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter said.
"And yet he’ll still know what’s on the other side of that wall because he’s had these relationships for years."